Silent Redemption
by Kara Aconoe
Summary: - Discontinued - When a little girl stumbles across three unusual pilots and is taken captive what hope does she have to survive when her captors are none other than Orga Sabnak, Crot Buer and Shani Andras? OC and OOC.
1. Misplaced Innocence

**Gundam Seed: Silent Redemption**

**By: Kara Aconoe**

**Author's Notes:** _Silent Redemption_ takes place during the time just before the battle for ORB. The original characters used are from **War Torn** but follow a more true story line than that of the role play turned fanfiction. This entire story is written solely by myself with insight from peers and fellow Gundam Seed fans. Unlike **War Torn**, this story revolves completely around the plot of Gundam Seed, however some exceptions may be made. Some original characters have been changed from that of their appearance in **War Torn** so be warned that having read that story does not account for every truth in this.

* * *

**Phase 1: Misplaced Innocence**

A young girl made her way around an Earth Alliance base in the Atlantic Federation. Having heard strange rumors about the military's new developments she found it her duty to investigate. Using any means by which as camouflage, she dashed from object to object and hid in the shadows from crowds of soldiers and mechanics as she slowly searched for what she was looking for. 'If the Earth Alliance really does plan to retaliate against that mishap at Panama then they will have no choice but to use this special weapon of theirs...' she thought as she rounded another corner.

"Hey you, what the hell do you think you're doing? This area's restricted!" came a voice behind her. It was one of the commanding officers. He had spotted her and noticed her suspicious activities along with her unusual attire. Taking hold of the child's arm he forced her to turn around as he scanned over her. Her eyes gleamed in the sunlight as a clouded grey and her pitch black hair was a little longer than shoulder length, with faint traces of silver highlighting certain areas. She wore a white shirt covered by a black vest with sleeves that extended to her elbows and two belts that overlapped atop her plain blue jeans that seemed to be ripped in a few areas. The officer gave a slight sigh as he motioned for one of the nearby soldiers. "Take this girl to the captain." stated the officer as he shifted his glance over to her slightly.

"Er... uh... B-But sir, isn't she just a child..?" questioned the soldier, a bit hesitantly. It seemed to annoy the officer as he somewhat shoved the girl over by the soldier's side. He scrambled to help her from falling as he gently took hold of her arm and straightened her position.

"Fool! Do not question our orders! We are to let nothing interfere with our current operation, including civilians. I'm sure Azrael will find some use for the likes of her..." answered the officer as he turned face and made his way back to his earlier work. The soldier gave out a slight sigh as he looked down at the girl.

"I'm sorry about this but I have to follow my orders." he said quietly as he ushered the young girl over to the main command center. She did not try to resist but rather wished to see just who was in charge of this ongoing operation.

All around them there were ships being boarded by what she could only assume to be the new Earth Forces mobile suits. It looked like they had been in mass production as she spotted numerous entering a nearby ship. Soldiers and mechanics were scrambling every which way as they tended to maintenance. It was then she came back to reality as she felt a slight tug at her arm. The soldier looked down at her slightly as he was about to open the door.

"We're here." he stated as he led them both forward. Inside two men were having a discussion. One was dressed in a white suit with a purple tie, the other donned an Earth Alliance uniform of white which showed his higher ranked position. The two stopped their conversation as their gazes shifted to the intruder. The door shut behind the soldier as he quickly saluted.

"What are you doing here?" questioned the captain as he raised a brow in question.

"Sir!" he said as he eased his position and pushed the girl forward somewhat, presenting her to his superiors. The man dressed in the white suit suddenly had a questionable look on his face as he approached the girl with an awkward expression.

"My, my, my... What do we have here?" he asked as he knelt down and looked her in the eyes. She stepped back suddenly, something about the man sent a chill down her spine like he was pulling over something with his devious expressions.

"Sirs, we found her wandering around the area. My officer thought it best if I reported her directly to-."

"Nonsense! You butt in here all because of some child you found!" interrupted the captain with an irritated look that seemed to send a clear message to the now near trembling cadet.

"N-No... sir... I-I... um..." stammered the soldier as he began to back away as well.

"Now, now. No need to waste your breath on such formalities. Why don't you go back to what you were ordered to do and leave us now, eh?" proposed the man in the suit as he stood back up and folded his arms. The captain turned to face the man with a look of question.

"Um... but sir, the child?" asked the soldier almost sheepishly as he seemed afraid to step an inch out of line before the men.

"We'll deal with her personally, now go back to your duties." stated the man as the soldier quickly saluted and scurried his way out of the room. As the door closed behind him the captain approached the man in the suit, an angered look on his face that was filled with questions.

"Yes Azrael, what of the child!" he demanded swiftly as he sent his glare off to her. Azrael seemed to push the captain aside somewhat seemingly to clear his space as he dusted himself off a bit.

"Now captain no need to be so abrupt." Just then another door opened as three soldiers entered into the room wearing the standard Earth Alliance uniforms but each had styled them differently. The three all wore somewhat blank expressions on their faces as they filed into the room. "Ah well look who it is." remarked Azrael a bit sarcastically.

"Hmph. Who gave you three permission to come here?" questioned the captain. They all sent him a blank stare as if ignoring him purposely.

"That's all my fault of course." stated Azrael truthfully as he raised his hands in front of himself in their defense. "I never did give them proper instructions."

"You are to board the ship. We are to head on to ORB soon." answered the captain as he made his way over to a desk and sat behind it.

"But of course." replied Azrael as he waved his hands about until they rested on his sides. "Now boys, you heard the man. Get going." he commanded to the three as they sent him cold glares and a few annoyed sneers. All the while the girl was still frozen in place near the other door, trying her best not to be noticed. It was when she took a last step back that the captain and Azrael's gazes shifted over to her.

"Azrael..." said the captain a bit coldly.

"Ah yes, right, right!" he responded. He turned slightly as the three were about to leave the room. "Oh and boys I need you to take her with you." Azrael stated as he motioned to the girl.

"Why the hell should we?" questioned the tallest one in the group with an annoyed expression. Azrael sent them a cold glare as he placed his hand under his chin.

"Do you plan to go against my orders? Now boys you know what happens when you disobey me." he snapped back slyly as the three immediately stopped their advance. An ominous feeling seemed to fill the room as the girl looked closely at the three of them. It was as if they were trembling, but on the inside. "Well..?" he asked a bit testily as his foot began to tap impatiently. The reality of the situation finally sunk into their minds as they all made their way to the girl and ushered her from the room. "I'll be coming to check on your performances soon, until then do what you will but don't get in the way." he advised as they all filed back out of the room.

"Just what is it you have in mind? What could those three possibly need with her?" questioned the captain, a bit curious as to what he had in mind.

"Those three can be a bit troublesome at times... Maybe she can be used an insurance that their performances will increase. I doubt all that training took away every human tendency." replied Azrael as he leaned against the desk. "Besides I may have future use of her. That child is obviously orphaned and to have made it past so many high security areas is quite impressive for someone her age. Don't you agree?"

"Leave your experiments for later, Muruta. My troops are heading onto a battlefield." remarked the captain as he turned his chair away from Azrael and motioned for him to leave.

"But of course. Always for the future and preservation of our blue and natural world." stated Azrael with a bow as he made his way out in the same direction the three had entered.

* * *

The three soldiers continued their walk. The tallest one was behind her, he had his arms crossed and was staring ahead, the girl wasn't that tall considering what age she appeared so it was understandable for them to be able to ignore her. To her left and right were the other two, the one on her left had his hands roughly shoved into his pockets and was slumped forward a bit as he trudged with each step and his left eye was covered by his long green hair. The one to her right seemed a bit shorter than the other two but was still taller than herself by far. He had a testy expression on his face as he shifted his gaze from ship to ship as they approached the entrance. 

She was being led by them, trying to keep up with their movements until they finally reached the door and she froze in place not quite knowing what to do. The three finally realized they had been crowding around her and nearly jumped back. They had been getting the strangest glances from all those around them and they couldn't figure out why until they looked back down at the girl. 'Please help me...' she thought as she dropped her head and tried to act as invisible as possible, a slight coloring coming to her face.

"Hey you three!" came the voice of another officer. "Get going already, those mobile suits of yours have been loaded onto the vessel already." he stated as he motioned over to a ship nearby. They all immediately straightened themselves out as they looked to the ship, back at each other and then toward the girl. She was in a bit of a huddled position, her head between her legs, trying to stay as completely invisible as she could. The red haired one approached the tall blonde one and took a glance back at the girl.

"Better get her before that ship leaves." commented the redhead as he began to walk off. The tall one's eye twitched some as he took a big step forward and grabbed him by his shirt collar, pulling him in closer.

"Hell no! You do it!" he shouted at him, still holding him tightly by the collar. The two exchanged glares for a while as neither wished to take hold of the child. The green haired boy just stared at the two blankly as he shrugged and gave a slight sigh. Taking his hands from his pockets he approached the girl who was now half awake and place his hand on her shoulder. Her eyes sprang open as she turned back to see him looking down at her.

"Come on..." he said a bit hushed as he held out his hand for her and helped her back to her feet. The two had stopped their argument as they watched their friend assist the girl. The finally let go of each other and sighed as they all made their way toward the ship. The red-haired one was now in the lead, his hands crossed behind his head as he gazed up at the sky slightly while the blonde followed suit beside him, his arms still folded. The green haired one was a bit behind the two, he stared forward still holding onto the girl's hand as he followed along silently. It seemed to her as if they were all in deep thought but about what she did not know. 'Who are they..?' she thought to herself as she kept up with their pace and soon drifted off into thought as well. It wasn't until she felt a slight tug at her arm that she came back to her senses and looked up to see the three staring back down at her.

They were in front of a door to a room, they had seemed to enter the ship without her knowledge. Why they had stopped in front of the room, however, she did not quite understand. The boy had let go of her hand and they were now positioned in a long stretched hallway.

"What are we supposed to do now..?" questioned the redhead as he looked down at the girl curiously. The green haired boy shrugged again as the blonde gave a slight sigh and looked down at the girl with a bit of an annoyed expression.

"I guess we have to... take her in with us, right..?" he questioned a bit as he leaned against the door behind him. "I mean we were ordered to, weren't we..?" The three spent a few moments of shifting gazes and nods of understanding as they finally looked back to the girl. The blonde one turned around to open the door as he sent a glance back to the girl and finally addressed something directly to her. "I don't know who exactly you are but our orders are to keep an eye on you. You follow what we say, understand?" She nodded in understanding as he turned himself back to the room and shook his head slightly. 'Why do _we_ have to do this..?' he thought a bit miserably as the three filed into the room. There were three beds and a couch in the room along with a chair in the corner. They had all made it to what she thought as their respective beds. She decided it best to just stand the corner and not tread into areas in which were not hers to disrupt. A silence soon engulfed the room as the three laid back in their beds and stared up at the ceiling.

Finally the silence was broken as the red-haired boy got up and was making his way to the door when the ship began to move. The sudden movement caused her to lose balance as she nearly fell over if it wasn't for the help from the boy. She had fallen back into his arms as he help straighten her out he looked at her carefully as she exchanged glances with him. The two others had sat up in their beds as they observed the situation and were a bit surprised about the movement as well.

"You should be more careful..." he said to her a bit sternly, she simply nodded. "Come to think of it... what's your name anyway? That is, unless you'd rather be called 'kid' all the time." he remarked as he lead her over to his bedside where he sat down again. The other two seemed to lean in closer as they too were a bit curious as to who she was.

"It's... Ai, Aiorem Heiwa..." she answered a bit quietly as she turned away from them. They all seemed to lighten up a bit at the sound of her voice, at least as far as she could tell.

"Ai, huh?" he said as he changed his position on the bed, leaned his back against the pillow and stretched out.

"What exactly were you doing around here anyway? I mean don't kids normally go to parks to play or something?" questioned the blonde a bit abruptly.

"I got lost..." she replied, but it was plain to see she was lying to them. She had come there for a reason, to see just what the military's new mobile suits were but so far she had yet to see the three models in which she had heard rumor of. The three raised a brow to her answer, even they weren't blind to see when someone was lying to their faces. However, they weren't exactly the type to press such questions.

"Well... what about your family?" questioned the redhead once more as he leaned his head up a bit and faced her.

"Yeah! Why didn't your family come and find you?" added the blonde as he leaned in closer, nearly falling off the side of his bead. Her eyes seemed to grow a bit darker at the comment. All the while the green haired boy had been idly listening in but at the sight of her sudden shifts in body language he could tell there was something different.

"My family..?" she questioned slightly. "I don't have a family anymore..." a slight tear dropped from her eyes but she failed to notice. The three immediately stopped their questioning after the sudden change in atmosphere. They all now had looks on their faces that showed a bit of understanding, all but one of course...

"How old are you, Ai..?" asked the green haired boy who was now at her side. She looked up at him, for she had failed to notice him move. It seemed she wasn't the only one too as both of the other boys nearly jumped in place at the sound of his voice. He knelt down to her eye level as he looked deeply into her eyes.

"I'm ten..." she answered softly as she suddenly felt the water in her eyes beginning to well up. The boy seemed to shoot back up to his feet from her answer as all of their eyes widened. 'TEN!' they thought in disbelief as they looked at the girl. The room slowly resumed it's silence as the three all quieted themselves trying to accept the fact that they had been entrusted with the life of some ten-year-old orphan who was found wandering around the base. They were all trailing off in thought until they heard the sound of a slight 'thump'. All of their gazes shifted to the cause of the noise as they sprang from their beds and looked down. It was then they found the source of the noise; Ai had fallen asleep on the floor suddenly.

"Gah! That kid's gonna give me a heart attack..." muttered the blonde as he grasped his chest and took a deep breath.

"Then maybe we should leave her with you, Orga. Maybe then we can get some quiet." snickered the redhead as he leaned back in his bed again. Orga sent him a fierce glare.

"Oh shut up, Crot!" he sneered as he raised a fist in defense and was about to strike, Crot now with a smug expression on his face as he awaited the strike.

"Come on, just try it!" he taunted, leaving himself wide open.

"Why you little-..."

"Shut up..." came an irritated growl from a familiar voice.

"What now, Shani?" questioned Orga as he held his strike but kept his fist ready. Shani sent them both a cold glare but then motioned toward the little body now huddled on the floor trying to keep warm.

"Oh yeah, the kid..." Crot muttered as he turned to see her on the floor. She was shivering a bit and trying to huddle her body for warmth but on the cold floor it wasn't helping very well. The three were now all gathered around her, each exchanged nervous glances to and from the girl. "Uh... what do we do with her?" questioned Crot. Shani shrugged and Orga was busy clearing his throat.

"We can't leave her on the floor..." stated Shani as he gazed down at Ai who was still struggling for warmth. Crot and Orga shifted their gazes to Shani with a questioning look. Such talk from him was unusual. Heck, any talk from him was out of the ordinary for the trio.

"Well then what do we do with her?" Orga finally asked. The three then commenced a bit of silence as they all went into thought of what to do with the child. The silence was broken when Shani felt a tug at his pant leg. While she was sleeping Ai had grasped onto his pant leg by mistake, however she wasn't about to let go either. He took a step back, but to little avail as his other leg was still grasped tightly by the child's firm grip. "Well that answers that." said Orga as he wallowed over to his bed.

"Yeah, have a nice sleep there, Shani." teased Crot as he too went back to his bed.

"Dammit..." he growled under his breath at the cruel turn of events. 'I never asked for this...' he thought as he sent the child a glare, though it had little effect.

Giving a sigh of defeat he knelt down and attempted to gently pick her up. This caused her to finally let go of his pant leg as he held her in his arms and set her down on the couch. He then made his way to his own bed as he dropped onto the mattress and stared up at the ceiling until his eyelids became too heavy for him to stay awake any longer.

'_Then again we never asked for anything... but to live...'_


	2. The Cost of Living

**Phase 2: The Cost of Living**

Ai awoke to an eerie silence. Slowly opening her eyes and sitting up in the couch she found herself to be completely alone in the room. It had seemed that the other three had left the room while she was sleeping, or so she presumed. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she slid herself off of the couch and made her way to the door. When it opened she fell back in shock, her right arm hitting the ground first, saving her from further injury.

"Dammit all!" shouted Orga in frustration, holding his chest once more. He was now backed into the wall on the other side of the hall, grasping onto the railing and leaning over a bit as he gasped for air.

"I guess you weren't kidding about that heart attack thing." came Crot's normal wisecrack as he and Shani approached the scene.

"Shut up!" growled Orga as he glared back at the two, still keeled over and gasping for breath. Crot attempted to hold back his laughter as Shani noticed the figure now positioned on the floor. Ai had collected herself by now but was still on the ground. She was grasping her right arm tightly due to the impact it had with the floor only moments ago.

"Man you're the biggest klutz I've ever seen!" mocked Crot as he was about to join Shani when he felt a familiar tug at his collar. 'Shit...'

"You wanna try that one again? Huh Crot!" interrogated Orga, his eyes gleaming with anger as he pulled Crot in, both of them now face to face. The two were about to engage in yet another fight when they heard Shani. This was becoming quite an unusual day for the trio as it was.

"She's hurt..." he stated as he entered the room and knelt down beside her.

"Huh?" questioned the two, a bit dumbstruck on just what was happening all of a sudden. Shani stared blankly at them for a few moments then turned back to Ai. She herself was a bit confused on what was going on, after all when she woke up they had all left. There were a lot of questions she wanted to ask them right then but it seemed that the pain in her right arm was preventing that.

Shani moved his hand closer to her and took hold of her left arm that was grasping the other. He tried to ease it away from her other arm, but he had little success. Jerking herself away from him a bit she backed away from his touch, a hint of fear in her eyes. His eyes seemed to reflect a moment of rejection at her sudden defense until he looked away from her.

"Does it... hurt..?" he asked her, though it was a bit indirectly. She stopped her defense as she loosened her grip on her arm and stayed put in her position on the floor. Something about the way he asked that question made her wonder just what it was about the three that was so different. She didn't even know why she had decided to move away. It was as if her body knew something her mind did not. As if there were something 'dangerous' about them. It was then she noticed the door close. Crot and Orga now joined the two in the room as they had finally taken the message that she was injured.

"You must have sprained it." came Orga's voice as he was now by her right side and examining her arm. Her eyes widened in dismay as she jerked to the left only to find Crot by that side, Shani still kneeling in front of her. She was surrounded by them, again. It was starting to fluster her to say the least, like they were all crowding in on the air she was breathing. At that time her breathing started to become a bit irregular.

"Jeez, maybe you should go through with that heart attack already Orga. At this rate you might just kill her." remarked Crot as he noticed her breath patterns sudden shift. As he looked closer he noticed some strange marks on her left arm but decided against mentioning them at the moment. Orga merely sent him another glare, as his attention was more focused on her arm.

"It doesn't look too bad, nothing serious." he concluded as he tried to get her full attention. "You need to be more careful, though." sighed Orga as he stood back up.

"That's what I said." remarked Crot, straightening himself out as well. "Between you having heart attacks every time something weird happens the last thing we need is another injury-prone klutz." joked Crot, seeming to lighten the mood. Shani gave a slight snicker to the comment as Ai tried her best not to protest to his poking fun at her. Orga was about to grab hold of him again when they were interrupted once more. A fuzzy static noise suddenly filled the room as an announcement was heard.

'Preparations for units Forbidden, Calamity and Raider have been completed. Pilots are to report to the hangar and commence with test runs. I repeat, pilots are to report to the hangar and commence with test runs.'

The transmission faded out as the static disappeared. The three's attention seemed to be perked by the announcement as they all glanced at one another. Ai tilted her head slightly in question as she looked up at the two by her side who had suddenly stopped their crud exchange of words. 'Forbidden, Calamity and Raider..?' thought Ai curiously. 'Could those be...'

"Hey! They're calling again..." said Crot as a smug look appeared on his face. Orga soon joined him with a nod as the two were about to make their way out of the room. They were stopped by Shani who had extended his arms as a blockade.

"What the hell Shani!" sneered Orga in frustration as Shani pushed him and Crot back into the room a bit roughly.

"She's hurt!" he snapped back as Orga and Crot backed away from the angered soldier. He sent them the most piercing glare Ai had ever seen as both Crot and Orga raised their hands in defense. She held back her laughter at their sudden change of heart. Shani was about to advance again until they finally spoke up.

"Alright already! We get it!" answered Crot as Shani finally backed down from them. One thing the two knew about Shani was his temper, a temper of which they knew never to get on the wrong side of...

"We can stop her by the medical area on the way. It's not like it's that far from the hangar or here." compromised Orga as he raised a brow to Shani. He nodded as he knelt down and helped Ai up. The group then proceeded out of the room and down the hallway. Crot was leading the group, staring off down the hall, his eyes trained ahead of him. It seemed that whatever it was about that announcement had him interested. Ai was being led by Shani's hand once more as Orga trailed a bit further in front of them.

"Y-... You really don't have to..." she said as they finally all approached the doors leading into the medical area. They stopped before the doors, their attention shifting to Ai. Orga gave a slight sigh as he ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Hey, I told you to listen to us, right? Don't go complaining about it... It's not like we're heartless..." stated Orga as they all proceeded into the room. Ai was a bit relieved to see that there were no actually 'injured' people there. It was logical since the ship had just set sail and had not encountered any signs of battle, though. She was just a bit uncomfortable with the sight of blood and suffering. It was understandable considering her age. A few medics were conversing nearby as Shani lead her over to them. They stopped their conversation as their attention turned to the green-haired soldier.

"She's hurt..." he said a bit coldly to the medics. It didn't take long for them to get the message as a few rushed over to quickly tend to the child's needs. This confused Ai as she was whisked away by the crew behind one of the curtains, leaving the three in the area together again.

"Shouldn't we be going?" asked Crot as he crossed his arms behind his head. The three looked over to the clock and noticed that a good twenty minutes had passed since the announcement.

"I guess so but what about her?" Orga answered with yet another question the three hadn't taken into account. He rubbed the back of his head as he tried to figure out some logical solution. Of course by the time he had begun his thinking process Crot and Shani were both on their ways out of the room. "H-Hey! What the hell, come back!" he stammered as he rushed after the three.

"Leave her to the meds! At least we won't have to have the kid leeching onto us... Besides if Azrael asks we've got a pretty liable excuse." proposed Crot as the others nodded in understanding.

* * *

"Now hold still, this will only take a few seconds..." stated one of the medics as they tended to her minor sprain. They were just about done when one of the workers noticed the marks on her left arm. Ai took notice of their gawking as she adjusted her vest so that her arm was covered.

"There, all done." stated another as they smiled in satisfaction. Her face cringed for a moment as she felt the muscles in her right arm become sore, but she could move it now without as much pain as before.

"Urgh... Thank you..." she said softly as she bowed her head in respect. The other medics sent her a nod of approval as one took the liberty of leading her outside of the room while cautioning her not to try anything to aggravate her arm again.

"Azrael, sir... it's about the child..." said one of the workers into a nearby com. as whispers were passed around nearby. Ai had been escorted out of the room by then so the worker presumed it best to report his findings immediately to his superiors.

'Yes, yes I'm quite aware of that fact. However, this could prove to be useful...'

"But sir she's-..."

'Yes I know, that is precisely why this will prove useful. What better way than to try out the new prototype...'

"Yes sir, understood..." By the time the other medic had returned his co-worker had finished his conversation with Azrael...

* * *

'Where'd they go..?' Ai thought curiously as she looked left and right for the trio in the hall. She gave a deep sigh as she headed off in the direction she thought they had left in. Mumbling some incoherent phrases to herself she continued to trudge around until she heard some familiar voices nearby. The way it echoed she could only guess it to be the hangar. 

"H-Hello..?" she questioned as she entered through the sizeable doors. Her body froze in place at the sight before her. Now positioned on an uprising, before the child stood three mobile suits. The very same three she had come to hear rumor of and the same three that got her into this whole mess in the first place. Yet something in her mind just wasn't adding up until she finally realized what she had been missing. 'Those three... those three... They're-!'

Just then the machines seemingly came to life before her as their eyes began to glow brightly and their Trans Phase Armor was soon activated. The cables connecting to the machines came undone as they slowly began movements. Their sudden shifts sent a slight shockwave through the area as the uprise Ai was positioned on struggled. She lost her bearings on the handrail as she slid back into the other side of the rise, rubbing her head from the impact. 'W-What's going on..? she thought a bit curiously as she watched the three machines file out of the current area. She got back up to her feet, still holding her head and trying to ignore the slight pain, as she followed over to where the machines had gone. When she passed through the doors she found herself in an elevator as she went down to the ground floor.

"Hello..?" she questioned, finding no living soul in sight. 'Where is everyone, and where did those machines go?' she thought curiously as she continued to wander the area. It was about twenty minutes later that she felt a familiar tremor engulf the floor beneath her. She was about to make her way to the medical area again when in came the machines, returning to their previous positions. Ai stared up at them wide-eyed as they were soon set back into place, their color fading away with their deactivation. The cockpit to one of them opened nearby her as she gazed up at who it was piloting the strange new mobile suit.

"Hurry, come quickly!" came voices rushing closer to her position. It was a crew from the medical area. 'Why on earth are they rushing over here so quickly..?' she thought as they all dashed past her. An extension cable from the mobile suit activated as out came a familiar blonde haired soldier, only there was something wrong with the way he had exited the machine. As he soon reached the ground he collapsed onto the floor, sweat beading down his neck and forehead as he grasped onto the floor as if for relief. Two staff members approached him as they took hold of him by each arm and brought him up to his knees.

"Hey wait! What are you doing with hi-!" Ai's protest was cut short as another staff member grabbed hold of her by the arm, their grip tightening on her as she watched in horror as the other two disembarked. Crot had managed to make it to the ground as Orga but when he did he had dropped to his knees and was doubled over grasping his sides in pain as he let out a horrible moan. Another two staff members came over and restrained him as they lead him over with Orga who was being taken to an area close by.

When the third mobile suit's cockpit opened, however, there was no sign of an extension cord but inside Ai heard a shrill cry as it sent a chill down her spine. After a few moments he was finally dragged out by the remaining workers. Shani's condition was no better than the others as they dragged him along as well.

"Let go of me!" she protested again as she tried to pry herself from their grip, but it was to no avail. "Let go... Let go! Bring them back!" she pleaded, now nearly in tears. It was then she heard a static noise as she turned her attention to the worker. It was a communicator, probably the same one that sent those staff members rushing in to take the three away.

"Very well..." he responded to whoever it was on the receiving end of the communication as he looked back down at Ai. He tugged at her arm as he began to literally drag her away. She had closed her eyes tightly as she bit down softly on her lip to try and prevent her tears. Whatever it was the worker was doing he was dragging her somewhere unpleasant, that she was certain of. The sound of a door opening finally made her look as she was then hurled onto the floor in front of him. "You wanted them so badly, then here..." sneered the man as the door close shut in Ai's face.

"Hey wait what are you doing!" she questioned almost furiously as she tried to open the door but found it to be locked. She kicked it in frustration as she was about to attack the object with her rage but finally came to the realization of where she was. Turning around rapidly in place she froze at the sight before her. There they were, all three of her captors, or should she say pilots? Whatever title it was they had didn't change the fact of their current unexplainable condition to her.

"G-God dammit!" stammered Orga painfully as he grasped onto the bed sheets beneath him.

"M-Make it... stop!" shouted Crot as he tossed and turned trying to find some way to stop the pains engulfing his body. Shani let out another painful shriek of pain as he gasped for air and searched desperately for something to relieve his pain. As his hand grasped onto to something nearby his eyes sprung open at the sight before him.

"Does it... hurt..?" came a soft voice that the three's attention shifted to in spite of the pains racing through their bodies. Tears rolled down her face as she stood there by his side.

"Why!" he gasped out as his grip on her arm tightened causing her to cringe for a moment. They were all perplexed on what it was she hoped to do. Why would such a child ever wish to watch any of it or even have been a part of it in the first place. There were many different sides to this war of which she could have been a part of, but why would she choose to be by theirs..?

_When you dream a dream_

_As a life passes by..._

Came a melodic message from the young girl as Shani's grip became even tighter. Orga and Crot were also in bad shape as they too held on to whatever they could with all of their might.

_When you let your mind wonder_

_And continue to ask why_

As she continued on, all that could be heard was the violent rustling of their attempts. Shani's grip was beginning to settle as his eyes opened wide and looked to the child before him.

_When you hear a melody_

_And can't help but fill with song_

Slowly, their movements began to lessen as their strength wavered. Crot was the first...

_When you bask in glory_

_For something you know wrong _

Orga then followed as the only left in the room conscious were Ai and Shani. He was still holding onto her arm, his grip still firm enough to hold onto her.

_All of these things_

_That you think to be so meaningful_

His sight was beginning to blur as Ai's image flashed back and forth from the darkness. His grip lessened as she took hold of his hand and held it tightly, her tears caressing down his forearm.

_They call it wishful thinking_

_A simple metaphor_

With the last sound in his mind being her humbled song and the last feeling being her tears Shani slowly slipped into a mild coma. Ai gently placed his hand at his side as she dropped to her knees at his bedside. Leaning her back against the leg of the bed she gazed up wearily at the ceiling, her eyes soon shutting to the now serene silence of...

'_Wishful thinking...'_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Hey everyone. Glad to finally be able to state those three's names. In the first chapter I had to think of different ways to address them and trust me saying their hair color over and over again was pretty annoying... - -; Anyway, for those with questions feel free to ask now and act now if you have any suggestions. A thanks to Aspendragon and Epsilon Zeta for their earlier input. To answer your question, Zeta:

Yes I realized she had all of the pilots strung around her finger and as the story went on it became a bit annoying. I promise you this time around will be much different, as you should already be able to tell. They're not quite fond of her yet, more confused as to why they were assigned to watch some little kid and how she could stand to be around them despite their flaws.

Glad to be getting input from everyone. Keep the reviews coming so that I don't find myself regreting this project!


	3. A Life Once Left Behind

**Phase 3: A Life Once Left Behind**

'_What happened to them... and why is it so... familiar..?'_

Not too long ago when the war began to escalate Ai was separated from her family. Her parents were working for the military and had suddenly gone MIA. She was young, some thought she was too young to understand but it did not take long for her to grasp the fact that she would never again see her parents. Other than her mother and father Aiorem had no living relatives and so she was orphaned. Of course in times of war not a lot of people had adoption on their minds so she was forced to live off of whatever the orphanage could offer her. Whenever people did drop by to adopt she was the last for them to consider. Ai liked it that way.

The other children treated her invisibly and shunned her from their activities. Soon Ai came to grips with the fact that she had labeled herself a loner, a title in which she wished to continue living by until she heard word of something. Though she was a child she had become aware of her surroundings and the ongoing war ever since she got the news saying she would never see her parents again. It was this particular piece of news that sparked her interest. Sure, Ai was just a child and there was little she could do in this time of war but deep down inside of her there was a rage that would never be quelled until she had found the truth. The truth of who killed her parents...

* * *

"Hey..." Ai turned away from the voice as she curled up, still leaning against the bed. "Come on wake up..." The voice was fleeting in her mind as she tried to ignore them. It wasn't until she felt a slight nudge that she finally squinted her eyes open.

"Urgh..." she moaned as the light blinded her vision. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she was greeted by three blurred figures. Her eyes sprung open as she finally realized they were all standing around her. "Uh... wh-what!" she stammered, rushing to her feet in panic. Crot gave a slight chuckle as she struggled to her feet while Orga let out a sigh of relief.

"Don't tell me... Heart attack?" joked Crot as he glanced over to the blonde. Orga shot him back another fierce glare.

"Shut up, pipsqueak!" snapped Orga as he pushed Crot down by placing his hand on his head and ruffling his hair.

"Don't call me pipsqueak!" argued Crot as the two engaged in another exchange of crude words and glares.

"Stop it!" growled Shani as he pushed the two apart from one another. It was as if nothing had happened while Ai was asleep. She was beginning to secondguess herself. 'Was all that... a dream..?'

"Hmph... Fine..." grumbled Crot as he crossed his arms behind his head and turned away from Orga stubbornly. Shani sent a glare over to Orga who still had his fists clenched but his grip loosened as his attention, along with Shani and Crot's, turned back over to Ai.

"Ai?" questioned Shani as he noticed her shift in activity from earlier. Hearing her name suddenly called, she shook off her thoughts once more as she looked up to see the three sets of eyes gazing down curiously at her. There was a sudden awkward silence as they awaited some kind of answer from the child.

"I'm sorry!" she answered swiftly, dropping her head apologetically. They all jerked away from her, a bit confused as to why she would do such a thing. In truth it wasn't the swiftness of the apology but the fact that she was giving one that confused the trio so. Never before had they heard such a plea of forgiveness, at least not outside of their training and that was normally from them.

"Now hold on!" Crot interrupted before she acted any further. "You don't have to apologize for anything!"

"B-But I-..." She stopped as she felt a hand atop her head. Looking up she was greeted by a flash of green.

"There's nothing to apologize for..." he assured her.

"Yeah... but really we should be going right now." said Orga as he began to walk over to the door. Crot and Shani turned to face him as they nodded.

"We don't need anymore 'punishment' today..." added Crot as he wandered into the hall, followed by Orga. Shani turned back to Ai as he knelt down to her level and looked her square in the eyes. What she saw within his gleaming purple eye was more than any of his words could offer her. The same could be said for the clouded grey reflecting within her own.

"My name is Shani Andras..." he whispered to her softly. With that he stood back up as he took one last look at her and made his way into the hall. 'Shani Andras...' she repeated in her mind as she watched his figure begin to make it's way out of the room. Ai stood there for a few moments thinking things through in her mind, but just as the door was closing she bolted out of the room and clung to the first thing she could. Shani froze in his steps as he felt a tug at his arm. Looking down his eyes soon met with the culprit holding his left arm hostage.

"Don't go..." she said quietly to him. "Shani..." She held onto his arm tighter, holding close to his side. He let out a heavy sigh as he put his right hand on her head causing her to look up at him.

"You can come... but no tears, okay?" he reasoned with her as he noticed a hint of water forming in her eyes. His expression seemed to soften as he spoke to her this time. Wiping away any trace of tears from her eyes she nodded and let go of his arm as he took her hand. Footsteps could be heard coming their way now. Ai guessed that to be the reason why Shani had decided to calm her. Or maybe there was another reason...

A few operators passed them by. Their expressions were very questionable as they scanned over the pilot and the child he was leading. As they made their way past them they exchanged whispers. The grip Shani had on Ai's hand tightened for a moment as they disappeared around a corner.

"Huh?" Ai titled her head slightly as she looked up at him. His pace had slowed some from what it was earlier and it had her a bit concerned.

"It's nothing... Come on, we should get going." he answered as they resumed their earlier pace and made their way to the hangar once more.

"What the hell took you so long?" demanded Orga from within the cockpit of his mobile suit. He hushed himself as he spotted the child he was leading.

"The kid?" questioned Crot who was also in his cockpit. "What's the deal here? You expect to do maintenance to Forbidden with her on you lap or something?" The last comment left a smug smirk on his face as Orga tried to hold in his laughter. Ai looked up at Shani only to find his head dropped and his other hand grasped firmly in a fist. His grip tightened on her hand again as she could hear him muttering things under his breath. Her attention shifted from the upset Shani over to the three giant mobile suits. Slipping her hand from his grip she wandered over to the nearest one, which happened to be Orga's.

"Oh wow..." The sound of her voice nearly made him jump as she stared down into the controls.

"Wh-What the hell!" he yelped as he stopped his work and looked over to the curious child leaning into his mobile suit. Crot had taken a break from his maintenance to watch the skeptical.

"Is this a new model..?" Ai questioned, still leaning into the cockpit. Orga leaned back a bit as she continued to violate his work space. He was about to answer when she was pulled out of the cockpit by Shani. "Hey!" she protested as he placed her away from the mobile suit.

"You shouldn't go near those..." he cautioned as he proceeded over to the green mobile suit. Ai crossed her arms and turned her head away in frustration as he left her there. 'Psh... pilots...'

"Yeah they're the new models, alright." answered Crot as he approached her from behind. "But how did you know..? How does a little kid like you know about mobile suits, huh?" he questioned her, however by the time he had finished asking she was gone. "H-Hey! Ai..?"

"Wow, these controls are so much more advanced!" came the child's voice, except this time it was coming from within the Raider's cockpit. Crot rushed over to his unit as he peered in only to find her sitting snugly in the cockpit of his mobile suit.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" he demanded, catching Orga and Shani's attention as they left their units and gathered around the cockpit.

"General Unilateral Neuro-link Dispersive Autonomic Maneuver system..." she read as she went through the controls of the mobile suit. The three stared at her in astonishment as she scanned through the data. "GAT-X370 Raider..." Leaning in a bit closer to the screen she continued to scan through all of the technical data on the machine leaving the three pilots to the sound of typing.

"What do you think you're doing!" demanded Crot once again as he was about to pull her from his mobile suit, but was held back by Orga and Shani who were both curious to see what she was doing. She froze when a screen popped up in the monitor. As information on the creation of the machine appeared two names caught her attention. Names of which she thought she would never see again...

"My, my... what's all this..?"

The voice snapped Ai back into reality as she looked up to see the three filled with loathing expressions. The man named Azrael approach them in another of his white suits, though Ai could not see him for the three were all gathered around the cockpit.

"Just what do you three think you're doing? Out of my way..." he sneered as he could tell they were hiding something from him. They were hesitant to back away but a quick flash of their earlier pain passed through their minds as they slowly made room. It was then Ai was face to face with Azrael yet again. His gaze shifted from her to the controls as she heard him mutter something under his breath. He grabbed a hold of her by the wrist and pulled her out of the mobile suit placing her in front of him. "You're quite the troublemaker... such a nuisance needs to be dealt with, don't you agree boys." They neither responded nor looked up at Azrael, their attention was dead set on Ai. He looked back to her with a bit of an annoyed face. "Your name, what is it?" he finally demanded from her.

"A-..." she was hesitant to answer the question after what she had just learned but what real choices did she have left? "Aiorem... Heiwa..." His eyes widened at the sound of her name.

"Did you say Heiwa..?" he questioned. She looked away from him trying to avoid saying anything more that she might eventually regret. "Hmph... I may have more use of you yet..." he said under his breath as he turned around to face Shani, Crot and Orga. "You three seem tense... You shouldn't be. As long as your performance is good then there's no need for 'punishment' now is there..?" Their eyes showed a glint of fear and hatred for a moment at the sound of the word 'punishment'. Did that mean what had happened earlier wasn't just some dream of hers, and is so, what had happened to them. There was a very ominous feeling around Azrael, one of which Ai was beginning to think she had no desire of discovering. "We'll be heading into battle soon, boys. I want you three to do whatever it takes for this blue and natural world..." he said in closing as he left the area, the ominous tone following in his footsteps. There was a silence in the hangar after he left but it wasn't a peaceful one. It was as if he had sucked the life from the area.

"Who was that man..?" asked Ai trying to break the eerie silence. The three looked back over to her their expressions easing a bit.

"No one..." answered Shani a bit coldly as he walked over to her and took her hand again.

"The bane of our existence is more like it..." added Orga as he joined them and approached the doors. "Listen here, Ai... it's best if you stay away from everyone else on this ship, understand?"

"Yeah... we may not exactly have the cleanest of pasts but compared to the rest of these guys, your life's safer with us..." said Crot, his arms crossed behind the back of his head again as he made his way out the door, Shani leading Ai along and Orga following behind. The corridors seemed to be dimmed as it was now getting pretty late. Few soldiers were wandering around the ship, it seemed the four were the only ones really wandering about the ship. Crot looked back at Shani and Orga for a brief moment and sent them a smirk as they nodded back to him. Ai was guessing they were signaling each other for something. She tilted her head in dismay as she gazed up at them, Orga now joining Crot and Shani following. All three came to a stop as Shani let go of her hand. They were in front of their quarters now but something about their expressions just didn't seem right to her.

"What's going on..?" she finally asked. The three exchanged glances and then looked back down at Ai.

"Hold on for a sec, kay'?" said Crot as he backed into the room, still keeping eye contact with her.

"Yeah there's something we need to get..." With that Orga joined along with Crot and entered the room.

"We won't be long, promise." added Shani as he gently tilted her head up.

"O-Okay..." she finally agreed as Shani backed into the room, the door closing behind him. 'Just what are those three doing in there..?" she thought to herself anxiously. Giving a light sigh she backed into the other side of the hall and leaned against the railing humming a light tune to keep herself preoccupied on something else. There was a lot of rustling coming from within the room she had guessed they were probably getting dressed. She could only imagine how horrid it must be for them to have to wear the same uniform day after day. Sure they all had altered theirs somewhat to fit their tastes no doubt but still...

Ai wretched at the thought of ever being put in one. She had hated uniforms ever since she had been forced to wear one at the orphanage when they were schooling. It was horribly uncomfortable for one and the other was that it made her feel restricted and unable to express herself. That's one of the reasons for the outfit in which she wore. Sure it was a bit different but it was what made her feel at home, or however at home you could be on a battleship. In fact it was one of the few things she had left of her former life. The jacket was designed and created by her mother with much pride and joy. It beared a special part of her family crest.

'Mom... dad... why..?' Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the door open. They were all standing there again as if they hadn't moved at all. The looks on their faces were a bit disturbing, not in a sadistic manner more over being a little too excited...

"Urgh... hey guys...?" Just as she uttered her first word she was approached by the three as they surrounded her. "Wh-What's going on!" she questioned in a panic. Shani put his hands on her shoulders as he gently pressed down on them trying to stop her from lashing out at them.

"Don't worry, you'll like this trust us!" said Crot happily as he knelt down to her level. Ai could feel the sweat forming on the back of her neck as they continued to crowd around her.

"Everything's going to be all right..." assured Orga as he noticed Ai beginning to jerk with each inch they closed in on her. Then everything went blank...

'_Trust us...'_

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Hey guys, sorry this one took some time and it's not all too long. That is entirely my fault since I'm on vacation in Colorado for the next five days. Anyway... Yeah this left off on an odd note... I know some of you are hatching evily perverted thoughts from that last bit but it's not what you think! Besides I've still got my fair share of surprises waiting for you as the story goes on. To answer a few questions I'll plan on putting up an FAQ sometime in my profile. If you want some questions answer sooner rather than later please contact me or leave a review with contact information. 


	4. A Gentle Lull

**Phase 4: A Gentle Lull**

"Ai..." came the same familiar fleeting voice. "Ai... come on..." This time Ai wasn't really asleep, but rather had excited herself to the point of exhaustion. Squinting her eyes open she was now face to face with the three. Again, they were all crowded around her. Rubbing her forehead, she looked up at them as she tried to adjust to the awkward lighting. It was very dark wherever she was, though she was too dazed to really make out just where. She could see a dim lighting in the background but that was really all she could make out as they constricted her view.

"Wh-... What's going on..?" she finally questioned as her hand moved from her forehead to the back of her neck. At the sound of her voice they all seemed to smile that same smile they had before. Though, this time it wasn't as awkward for her. "Well..?" she questioned becoming a bit impatient from their strange antics.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" answered back Orga as he straightened himself out and held out a hand for the child. Shani and Crot joined him as they strayed away giving her more space. It wasn't until she took his hand that she finally realized where she was. There was a gentle breeze being carried through the air around them and the soft sounds of the water beating against the ship were soothing. Slipping her hand from his grasp she rushed over to the railing at the side of the ship and gazed in awe at the reflecting lights being carried in the waves.

The water's surface shined with the serene lighting as it carried the lights onward into the vast and seemingly endless ocean waters. As she looked up once more the moonlight shone down near the ship, a perfect spotlight now glistening in the nearby waters. As she was about to speak it felt as if knots had formed within her throat as her breath was carried away. Placing her hand on her throat in panic she was about to try once more when she felt pressure on her shoulders once more. It was that same pressure as before is what she guessed. Turning her head, her hand still placed on her knotted throat, she found herself face to face with him again.

"Sh-... Sha-..."

"Ssh... Listen..." he whispered into her ear as he gently backed away from her. Ai was about to protest, turning around to follow after him when she heard a noise echoing nearby. Taking one last glance back at the three they nodded as if understanding what was happening. Slowly, she turned to face the waters once more. Ai approached the rails as she looked down at the water caressing the ship's surface then her gaze shifted onto the horizon as she closed her eyes listening closely for that same sound.

There was nothing. Nothing but the gentle lull of the ship's hull and the ocean waters. She was going to turn back to the three when she heard it again. For a split second the same familiar sound echoed and rang through her thoughts. 'Where is it coming from?' she thought curiously as she stepped closer to the rails and closed her eyes in concentration once more.

Yet again, nothing. Nothing but the splash of the waves as they crashed and collided together nearby. She sighed heavily in frustration as she stamped on the deck firmly. There was a sound of shuffling coming from behind her but she ignored it as she was determined to figure out what this mysterious sound was. A sound that echoed through the air around her and rang through her head like a haunting melody. 'Wait... that sound... that sound, it's-!'

Her eyes shot open as sweat began to bead down the back of her neck. Her eyes adjusted to the lighting once more as she tried to collect herself. Then, as if merging with the very essence of the sounds around her, a gentle melodic sound arose. The knots from within her throat had disappeared and all the doubts of that sound had vanished from within her mind...

For that sound was in fact that of her own voice. And it was not that sound but her own that was now echoing through the gentle breeze. There were no words that could express the feelings rushing within her at that moment. All that need be heard was the melody of her voice. A voice so pure and so innocent it brought tears to all those who dared listen. How may you ask it brought tears to the eyes of those now stricken to a life of war? Within all that pure and gentle innocence of this orphaned child there was a shadow. A shadow that cast out any and all light of hope she had once had. Shani, Crot and Orga sensed that shadowed from within the darkness of her past. A past that she may not have even been aware of. It was because of this that they were unaffected by her song. For the song she now sang to was of a different melody from that of the shadows but now of the little light had left. A light that was given to her by them.

* * *

"Azrael, sir!" came a nurse rushing over to him as he wandered the hangar. He turned to face them, a bit of annoyance showing in his face.

"What is it?" he asked dully. The nurse took a moment to collect herself as she gasped for a breath of air then straightened herself in front of her superior. She held a clipboard in her hand and presented it to him, her hands almost trembling.

"I-It's the results sir... That girl is indeed the daughter to the Heiwa's." she answered back with a tremble in her voice as well. Azrael grabbed the board from within her hands and raised a brow as he looked over the first paper. It was a birth certificate, but he had little interest in it since it was only a copy. His glance turned back to the nurse who still seemed to be shaken. She had yet to leave and he was curious as to why.

"Well..?" he began, "What is it?" She swallowed as the air went down through her throat roughly. There was sweat forming on the back of her neck and her limbs were close to trembling. Clearly Azrael wasn't _that_ terrifying, especially not to his own medical crew.

"Well sir... We looked over the results of the other tests we could perform and well... that child she's..."

"Spit it out already!" he demanded nearly losing his grip on the board.

"She's an Extended, sir!" His eyes widened at the words that escaped her mouth. It was soon replaced by a devious grin as he brought the papers back and began to look through them with much amusement. The nurse was about to leave when his hand motioned back to her.

"I want you and your crew to continue with your checkups on her... we will be performing some new _experiments_ very soon." stated Azrael as the smile only grew. The nurse gave a bow as she then rushed back to gather the workers and prepare. "Heh heh... it seems that even in death the Heiwa's are serving us." With that he strolled off to the bridge, though he had mistakenly left the papers in the hangar in the midst of all of his excitement...

* * *

"Ai!" called Orga as the child held onto the rails and leaned back and forth following along with the motions of the wind and waves. She turned her head and looked back at the three as it tilted in question. "It's getting late, come on." he finished as he motioned for her to return to the three. Nodding, she let go of the rails and dashed over happily to them. Grabbing hold of Shani's hand he nearly jumped as he felt her body ease against his own. Looking down at the child he gave a slight smirk as he saw her happy expression. Just as the group made there way off the deck and down into the hallway they were interrupted by a small crew of medical workers.

"Hey, what gives?" sneered Crot as he took a step forward in defense, trying to break away the crew who was now blocking their way. They didn't falter as one stepped up to Crot and stared him down straight in the eyes.

"We're here for the girl by orders of Azrael." he snapped back as Crot stepped back and sent him a loathing glare. Orga looked from Crot and then over to the workers with a questioning look. Stepping up, he questioned them as to their actions.

"What you mean 'we're here for the girl'? She's under our watch by Azrael's orders." Orga stated strongly. The men grunted as another worker approached Orga with a devilish smirk.

"You have no authority over this matter, CPU." he said smugly as Orga stepped down while gritting his teeth and attempting to hold back his anger. Another worker was about to take Ai when Shani instinctively blocked his way as he put himself between him and the child. The man raised a brow in confusion as to his immediate actions.

"Outta' my way, tool!" he scowled as his hand was about to knock Shani away. His eyes widened when it was caught by Shani as he gripped him in an arm lock.

"Move!" Shani growled as the man began to feel the muscles in his arm tightening as he squinted and prepared for the worst. Ai began to back away from the scene until she bumped into someone on the way. Jumping forward in shock she was then brought back in by the person's grip as a voice she never wished to hear the sound of again rang through the hall.

"Now, now boys. That's quite enough." clapped the man in the suit as their attention shifted. It was Azrael and he now had Ai restrained by his side, no doubt a gun in his pocket. The three froze as they stopped their actions. Azrael motioned for the men to approach as they took hold of Ai. She was about to struggle from their grip when she saw the three signal for her to be calm. They knew he had something worse to calm her otherwise, something that they didn't want to see nor want her to feel. Giving in to their requests Ai was ushered along into another wing of the ship, leaving the trio with many questions and the one man who had their answers.

"What are they doing with her?" asked Orga a bit calmly as he tried to set an example by which Shani and Crot would follow. A grin was plastered on Azrael's face, one that they were all too familiar with.

"It's come to my attention that Ms. Ai is a rather special child, don't you three agree?" He was given no answer as the three sent him looks of disapproval. Waving his hand in defense Azrael gave a sigh. "Oh come now, you must know what I mean. Anyway if you're so curious as to what's going to happen then why not come along and watch? I'm sure it will be a healthy change for you three." With that Azrael made his way to the other wing as the trio was hesitant to follow. They trailed behind his shadow as they exchanged looks of curiosity and the sense that they knew something was going on that they were not fully aware of.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Hey everyone. Sorry this one took so long and is very short! x.X I'm busy trying to get ready for school and whatnot. A big thanks out to all of those reviewers and friends who are keeping a close eye on the story! Anyway, yes I will continue on slower come next week since school will soon be in session. For those of you who are confused as to the scene on the deck. Ai was getting lost in her thoughts and had not realized she had begun to sing a melody. The trio helped show her just what she was doing so she would stop her worrying and enjoy the gentle night. Also on another note that I forgot to mention on Phase two that song Ai sang is a poem I wrote titled 'Wishful Thinking'. I may have it return again but I'm not too sure. 


	5. Bound by Science

**Phase 5: Bound by Science**

Ai was becoming concerned as they continued to lead the child onwards. This side of the ship was different to her, the surroundings were all the same as any other part of the ship but the rooms were placed farther apart and she was now being lead to the last set of double doors, much like those leading to the hangar. They were heavily reinforce from what she could tell and there was also a monitor placed on the wall next to it along with two security cameras trained on the door. A man from the group approached the monitor as the screen turned on revealing someone from within the room who was dressed in a medical uniform.

"What is it?" the man questioned in a rough tone as his gaze shifted around to the other two men who accompanied him.

"We've come with the girl." stated the other man as he stepped to the side revealing the child behind him. The man on the monitor's eyes widened as he saw the child. Giving a nod the monitor quickly shut off just as the door began to open. As the doors slowly parted a cold rush of air escaped into the hallway that sent a shiver down her spine. The two men by Ai's side ushered her into the room as she was lead further in by their leader. The two other soldiers remained outside as he entered with Ai. It was dark in the room just so much as it was cold. The metallic surroundings were little but reassuring to the child as she stepped further into the room. There was medical equipment safely stored away on one side of the room while the other contained three beds and a series of electronics.

"So this is the one?" questioned the doctor as he approached the soldier who had entered.

"Yes, just as ordered." responded the soldier, he then eyed the equipment the doctor had set up around the room.

"No need to worry, I understand the orders given. No harm will come to the subject so long as the commuter is watching." said the doctor as he walked over to a table and picked up a needle that he held up as he motioned the soldier toward the child still examining the room. The soldier nodded back as he walked over to Ai and took hold of her arms as he restrained them behind her body. "Now no need to struggle, child. Everything will be fine. You won't feel a thing." soothed the doctor as he stood in front of her and revealed the needle. Her eyes widened in horror as the tip gleamed and slowly made it's way toward her. Ai tried to step back and get loose from the soldier but she had nowhere to run to. He held her arms tighter as she let out a shrill cry but by that time the needle and it's contents had been injected into the child's body. Everything began to blur as the soldier let go of her and then all feeling was lost...

"Send in the others, we need to begin as soon as possible." ordered the doctor as the soldier nodded and exited the room returning with a group of doctors and medical workers. Two approached the child now lying unconscious on the floor as they picked her up and placed her onto the center bed. They then proceeded to straightening her body on the mattress and drew out hidden restraints from underneath. Tying her down tightly the two turned back to the main doctor as they backed away from the bed and to other areas of the lab. Three other workers came over to Ai pushing various equipment with them. The crew of workers continued to attach the child to lab equipment and clear away the area in front of a window for a clear view of their operations.

* * *

Azrael rounded another corner as he then proceeded into a plain room with a com and computer in the corner along with several seats. A worker was currently at the computer as they took notice of the visitors and took a quick moment to approach Azrael as they saluted.

"Sir, all preparations are near completion and operations will begin momentarily." stated the worker as their gaze tried to stay focused on Azrael rather than the three pilots he had brought along.

"Ah, yes... Very good, tell them to start immediately." said Azrael as the worker nodded and went back to their earlier task. He callously proceeded into the room as he took a seat next to the workspace and crossed his legs as he sat back. The trio was hesitant to join but did as they took their seats as well, though they made sure they were a distance from Azrael. One thing struck them as odd, though. Why was it that all of the chairs in the room were positioned facing a window..?

"We're ready to begin operations."

"Affirmative." responded the worker as they pressed a button and the window in front of them revealed the other side. Their eyes then trained onto the single person standing out in the room as a light was shone over her.

"Ai..." they all gasped. The grin on Azrael's face only grew when he noticed their sudden change in attitude, that of showing worry. He waved his hand to the worker as they opened up the link to the room again, this time allowing the audio from within it to stream throughout the room.

"Subject is unconscious, all vitals stabilized. Heart rate normal no anomalies detected. Beginning diagnostics." stated those within the room as they looked from the lab equipment and monitors. Ai was sleeping, probably put down thanks to a tranquilizer from what the three could make out. She was strapped down tightly and there was some sort of wire attached to every limb on her body, various more around her upper body.

"Readings are all green. Thought waves are minimum."

"Right then. Watch closely boys." said Azrael as he looked to the worker once more and then to the three as he wrapped his hands together in anticipation. They didn't want to but their minds refused as they wanted more to see what was going on than anything else.

"Begin testing on the subject." stated the worker through the com as the message rang through the other room. They all scattered to their positions in the room as two doctors went to the back to set up their equipment. A nurse walked over and took a hold of Ai's right arm as she took a needle and found a vein in her arm where she injected the sharp point and slowly took out a small amount of Ai's blood. As she finished up she lightly bandaged up the section she had injected the needle and proceeded to a small desk nearby where she carefully began to examine the blood sample along with another worker. The two doctors then approached the bed, each now holding in their hand a needle, both carried a different substance. One was a clear mixture whereas the other was a dark hue.

"Blood reads O positive. Commence injection..." said the nurse as she held up her hand and began a countdown finally motioning to them, "Now!"

The doctors both took one of her arms as they searched for a vein. Holding her arms tightly the metal slowly sunk into her skin as they released the substances. The two doctors stepped back as they dropped the empty needles onto trays and placed on a new pair of gloves while glancing from the monitors to Ai.

Shani, Crot and Orga had held their breaths the whole while as the needles came and passed. Just what were they doing to her? And what were those substances? They had so many questions but couldn't find the courage to ask. They knew the consequences, they knew the answer and they knew there was nothing they could do as they sat there watching. A sickening feeling was overcoming Orga as he held his stomach and looked away every so often from the window. Crot was slightly trembling, flashbacks running through his head, he blinked a few times trying to clear his mind. Shani held tightly to his chair as his eyes stayed glued to what they were doing to Ai. As more data streamed in the typing from the soldier in the room seemed to hasten.

The smile on Azrael's face seemed to grow with each injection as he pulled his hands closer to his face and leaned forward. He looked over to the soldier in curiosity as he awaited another check of the new 'specimen'.

"Injection completed. All signs seem to be normal..." stated the soldier as he examined the data across the screen. The nurse from within the room continued to relay the results until there was a sudden halt in the data. The soldier in the room stopped their typing as their hands hovered over the keyboard. Azrael's excitement wavered as he leaned his arm on the chair and glanced over to the screen.

"What is it? Why did it stop?" he questioned a bit irritated. He got no response from the soldier as he noticed they remained in the same position along with all those in the room. "What's going on? Answer me!" he sneered as he stood up and walked over to the computer. He swung the soldier in the chair around as he glared at them closely. They lifted a trembling hand over to the computer screen at a chart monitoring the child's status as Azrael turned his attention over to the screen. He was scanning through the information when a noise shattered the silence. It was a light beep that had begun to echo through the com. Arzael raised a brow in confusion. "What is that..?"

"V-Vitals are abnormal!" shouted the nurse within the room as she shot up from her seat, her hands slipping from the keyboard as she stared back at the child. The beeping then became louder as the charts from both inside of the room and on the computer screen began to rocket violently matching the beeps. "S-Subject is regaining consciousness!"

"What! Already? But that amount we administered shouldn't wear off for another hour!" protested one of the doctors as they approached the nurse who had started the ruckus. He placed his hand on the monitor as he began to read the information and then looked over to the child. His eyes widened as the clang of the straps against the metallic bottom of the bed sounded. "How can this be..?" he gasped.

"H-Heart rate is increasing." stammered the nurse as she looked over to the monitor again. The rattling of the restraints was becoming louder with each increase in her body's activities. Sweat beaded the workers as they watched in astonishment.

"She's already responding..?" questioned the other doctor as they slowly approached her bedside and gazed down at the child. Her eyes shot open as her pupils retracted, they were dull, showing she was still affected by the tranquilizers as the doctor gave a slight sigh of relief. There came a loud gasp from the nurse as she covered her mouth in disbelief, her eyes trained on the screen once more.

"What is it now!" demanded the doctor beside her. Her body trembled as she looked over the results again and again, but there was no mistaking what she saw...

"Brain waves are... Are accelerating."

Everyone in the rooms went quiet as well. Azrael's earlier interest was perked again as he returned back over to his seat and motioned for the soldier to do the same as they turned back over to the monitor. The group inside the room was now gathering together shaking one another's hands. Shani, Crot and Orga all watched in a bit of disgust but froze at the next sounds they heard...

"Uh... Ughn... huh..?"

The workers all stopped their congratulations to one another as their attention shifted back over to the center bed. Ai titled her head to the side as she was about to rub the side of her neck when she felt the pressure. Her eyes widened as she lifted her head enough to see she was strapping her down. The loud clang was another confirmation as she felt the rough material against her skin. After coming to the realization she was currently strapped down to a hard bed she noticed the wiring currently attached to her. Slowly she began to take in the scenery around her as the same place where she had not too long ago been subdued in.

The two doctors walked back over to her bed as they loomed over the child. Her eyes gleamed with horror again as she saw the nurse approach from behind with a very familiar needle. As she handed it over to one of the doctors the point shined in the light as he held it in front of him, squirting some of the substance into the air. The doctor looked over to the nurse as he motion for her to return over to the computer.

"Azrael sir?" came the nurse's voice over the com as the soldier turned back to face him, letting the message clearly ring out.

"Yes... what is it?" he questioned a bit dully.

"Shall we terminate the project now, sir? The subject seems... unstable at the moment."

"Ah, yes... Very well then. Take her back to-..." he stopped as he glanced over to the trio who's attention was still locked in the room while trying their best to scope out Ai.

"Sir..?" questioned the nurse once more.

"Take her back to the room." he responded simply as he stood up, his hands behind his back as he looked into the room himself.

"Yes sir, understood." With that their conversation ended as the nurse turned around and nodded to the doctors looming over Ai. She was dead still in place, her eyes clearly trained on the tip of the needle as her body tremble. She closed her eyes as her mouth opened wide and she was about to scream when she felt the sharp pain once more as her eyes opened to find everything blur again...

'_At that moment... everything I once knew vanished...'_


	6. Revelations Part I: Scars

**Phase 6: Revelations Part I- Scars  
**

"What did they... do to her..?" Orga questioned as his eyes scanned over the child. She lay there on Shani's bed, her skin seemingly paler and a painful expression adorning her tired face. Crot stepped over to her left and froze at the site. There were a few distinctive marks on her, but they looked far too familiar for him to ignore. He moved his hand over to her as he held her vest and was about to unbutton it.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!" demanded Orga as he grabbed a hold of Crot before he could go any further. Crot shook his grip off and tried to ignore the question as he continued. "Listen to me, dammit! What are you doing!"

"Shut up and let me finish!" Crot protested as he was nearly done, it was then he felt a sharp pain grip his right hand just as he was about to take it off. He turned to come face to face with a cold stare.

"What are you doing?" Shani questioned with a stern tone. Crot sent them both a glare as he moved his hand away from Ai and from Shani's grip. His gaze wandered from them as if he was contemplating the question.

He took a deep breath, not daring to stare either directly in the eyes. "Before I saw something on her arm..." he began, trailing off slightly as he glanced over to her motionless body. "I think... I think I know what those marks are now, but I can't be sure unless you let me check!" he snapped, staring at the two intensely.

There was a moment of silence as Shani and Orga glanced at each other. Slowly, the two began to back away as the redhead took charge and finished what he had started. He gently picked up the small, limp left arm of the girl and pushed her sleeve up to reveal the distinctive markings. They were there, just as he had remembered. Although now they were clearer to see due to the fact that her skin was a great deal more pale.

"What are those..?" Orga questioned as he took a closer look. Crot simply shook his head. He'd never seen marks like that before. There were three lined in a triangular position on her upper arm.

"They're scars..." said Shani as he joined the two. "From injections, no doubt..." He ran his hand along her arm as he forced Crot to let go. The two looked at him in question.

"How do you know?" Crot demanded. His attention was then directed to Shani once more as he rolled up her right sleeve to reveal the markings from the earlier injections.

"That's why."

Crot growled as he turned away in defeat."Fine!" He crossed his arms stubbornly and trudged over to his bed where he pulled out his handheld from beneath the pillow. Roughly laying down on the bed in an awkward position he held the game high as the familiar beeps and clicks could be heard again.

Orga and Shani left Crot to vent as they checked to make sure there were no other injections made on her legs or around her neck. They didn't know why they were checking. She was out cold and completely out of their way for once. Yet, something in them stopped them from ignoring the fact that she might be hurt.

After a few minutes and confirming there were no additional injections made, Orga went over to his bed where he took out a small book and flipped through the pages gently. As he found his desired page he stopped before beginning his reading and glanced over to Shani.

"There's nothing we can do right now..." he simply said to him as he turned on his side leaning his elbow on the mattress as he erected the book before him. "We have to leave soon so... we shouldn't get attached." he stated with a sigh as his full attention then shifted to his novel.

Shani had failed to listen to a word of what Orga had said. He didn't care, but he didn't know why he didn't care. Why was he so quick to help this child? To watch over her and even... worry..? These conflicting ideas swirled over and over again in his one-track mind. He didn't care for anything, only to save his own skin, whether it was in life or on the battlefield. Yet, here he was, giving up his bed to this little girl who was so frail now he could hardly stand to look at her.

Shani was staring at his, Crot and Orga's reality. None of them had asked to become slaves to the military and yet here they were and there she was...

Tiny grey pupils met his own, but they were void of anything. The warmth he had once seen, even the terror. Those small grey orbs were void of all emotion if they were anything right then they were cold and empty.

"Ai...?" he almost gasped, his hands quickly moving away from her arms. She gazed up at the ceiling as if she could not hear anything. Crot and Orga glanced over, not stopping their activities just yet. There was an anticipation building up in the room by the three as they awaited some sort of other sign from her."Ai... can you hear me..?"

Her lips moved but no sound came out, her gaze still locked in the same place and her body unmoving. Shani could feel his every nerve standing on edge, his eyes widening as he waited. Why was he getting so worked up to see her..?

Crot dropped the handheld by his side as he pushed himself off of the bed and took a few steps over toward Shani's. His hands reached the mattress at her side as he clutched the sheets. Orga turned around and slid off the bed leaving the book behind. He too approached the opposite side of the bed as he placed one hand atop the mattress and the other wanting to reach out.

"Come on kid..." Crot muttered subconsciously, clutching the sheets harder. They all went silent, the only noises that could be heard were the rustling of the bed sheets and the breathing of the three.

"H-... He-..." She spoke, or rather she tried. It was enough to lift their spirits, each of the three gaining a hopeful expression.

"Ai it's us. Come on you can tell us!" Orga urged her, placing his other hand close beside her arm. Her eyes shut tightly, her small hands forming into fists.

"Ai!" the three called out. It was then her eyes fluttered open...

'_I was so relieved to see her... but why is that..?'_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Notes:** Forgive the shortness and lateness yet again. I guess things have been getting a lot more hectic in my life than I initially thought. BUT! It's a new year so have no fear! I am making an oath to update at least ONCE every month, but I promise I'll try to make it once a week or every other week for the sake of development. 

Chapters should start getting a bit longer too, but if they don't then just be glad I'm updating at all. Most people would have surely given up by now since the series is a bit outdated but I won't so don't fret! Anyway, this is more of a filler chapter if anything at all. From here on out I think there'll be a few every now and then just to move the story along at a decent enough pace. Also, so you can tell which ones are fillers they'll all be a part of the 'Revelations'.

Oh and one last thing, to all you flamers out there:

You can insult my fanfictions, you can insult my characters and my portrayals of other characters... but when you insult not only my writing but the integrity of the **REVIEWERS** and **READERS**, well buddy. I hope you signed anonymous.


	7. Nightmare Syndrome

**Phase 7: Nightmare Syndrome**

Ai awoke to see she was in new surroundings. It was a small room, she laid on the bottom of an average sized bunk bed that was the military standard. The room was particularly bare and it seemed that it was vacant aside from the child. She sat up and glanced around curiously at the strange new place. Why was she there?

Placing her hand on her chin she pondered slightly as to just what had happened previously. Maybe if she could recall what had happened early things would clear up. However, as she thought a dark feeling overcame her. The only thing she could remember was a faint image of three distraught and familiar faces. She could almost hear their voices calling out to her...

"_Ai it's us." _

'_Us?' _She thought curiously as she tried to place the faint images in her mind. For some reason she just couldn't clarify them, not even the voices sounded close. _'A dream..?' _she couldn't help but wonder. After all what else could it be? She could not remember where she had previously been or had come from, only that she wasn't anywhere familiar. The only things she could recall were the faces and voices of three people she could not even recognize.

Shaking off the unnerving feelings, she sat up in the bed and rubbed her head in irritation. She wasn't getting anywhere fast by staying there and pondering things and it just gave her a headache to even try. Still... it was perplexing that the past few hours were a complete blur to her._ 'Just like those faces...'_ she thought curiously.

Flicking her radiant obsidian hair to the side after having ruffled it due to her irritation she slowly slid off of the bed. When her feet made contact with the ground she heaved a heavy sigh in slight mental exhaustion, there was no sense in her getting so worked up over nothing. Wherever it was she was now, nothing seemed to be wrong, and for the first time she felt as if her mind was almost clear of thought. There were no real worries on her mind and aside from her strange case of amnesia she felt completely rejuvenated.

"Maybe I was dreaming..." she muttered to herself as she slowly approached a door which didn't seem to budge as she placed her small hand on its cold surface. Now that she noticed it the floor was also pretty chilled. Why was that?

The child glanced down curiously only to realize that she was in fact barefoot on the cold metallic flooring. As she was beginning to come to this realization she also noticed that she was no longer in her normal clothes but actually in a plain white dress. Her face contorted slightly into one of uncertainty. Just what had she been dreaming of and what was happening to her now..?

'_Stay calm...'_ a voice in the back of her mind chanted instinctively. She would figure this out, there was definitely something strange going on but at the moment it didn't seem life threatening and that was what mattered to her most.

Leaving the room behind she now stood in a narrow hallway which was oddly familiar to her. There were circular windows that ran across one side of the hallway and showed a rather dark blue sky and to the other side was a series of doors like the one she had left, no doubt similar rooms. Slowly she continued along the hallway, glancing around every now and then in a vain hope of finding some sign of life. It was dead quiet wherever she was on the strange vessel now and dark outside indicating nightfall most likely.

A loud sound suddenly rang through the hallway that nearly startled her to the point of her heart stopping. She knew that sound and knew what followed it shortly after every time. Ai ran instinctively as far as her small legs could take her, which was surprisingly fast thanks to her strange rejuvenation.

"What's going on?!" she cried out in dismay, tears sliding involuntarily down her cheeks as she strode faster and faster. The child covered her ears in panic as she continued to sprint along the unknown route. That evil sound echoed through the halls and sent chills throughout her body. It seemed the faster she tried to run the louder the sound got indicating the space between them was closing in somehow despite her running the opposite direction, or what she assumed to be the opposite direction.

Turning a corner she was abruptly stopped as she tripped and swiftly made a heavy impact with the cold, hard floor beneath her. Her limbs ached painfully as they had finally stopped from her desperate run, she had pushed herself a little too hard during her flight. Strangely enough the sound had ceased and all was quiet again around her. Ai slowly pulled herself up against the wall and gasped for breath as she tried to stop the racing of her heart.

Closing her eyes she tried to relax herself and even out her breathing, but before she could finish something grabbed her and she felt her heart stop as her eyelids flashed open. Her pupils dilated in horror as her throat ran dry and the scream got lost in her fear. A bloody hand was now limply grabbing at her foot but it was who that hand belonged to that had made her freeze in terror.

Pooled in a deep crimson pool were three figures that lay motionlessly on the floor before her. One body lie slumped against the opposite wall, his eyes open yet lifeless and a pistol in his hand that seemed to have failed him. His blond hair was slicked back as always but his bangs were messed, from sweat no doubt, and his uniform now stained with a solid coat of crimson. Next to him there lay another on the floor face up, blood trickled from his forehead and his eyes were held open in shock. The formation of his mouth indicated that he had probably been speaking just before, no doubt trying to send a warning. That familiar bright red head of his almost would have brought a tear to her eye as it melded with the pools beneath him, had it not been such a gruesome scene. The last was on the floor just before her, his back hunched and his body lying sideways as his weak armed outstretched sadly toward her. His face was shadowed by his now ragged green locks but beneath all of the blood stains and now ragged features Ai still found those brilliant eyes that gazed at her now almost lifeless. A sad smile formed on his features as he lowered his head and hoarsely called to her after a painful gasp...

"Ai..."

It was the most painful thing she had ever heard.

Ai tried with all of her might to beckon some part of her body to move. All logic and reason had escaped her mind as she slowly watch the purple and gold gaze slip from her vision. Water filled her eyes as she gave up fighting the tears. There was a horrible lump in her throat as she cried their names over and over in pain.

"Come back..." she cried out. "Wake up, please!" she pleaded as she finally grabbed a hold of the limp and pale hand that had just moments ago been trying so desperately to touch her. "Someone... anyone... don't go..." she whimpered holding his hand to her heart. It was in vain, there was no response and the warmth from that friendly and familiar hand had finally gone. She was now alone in this strange place again, this prison. What had she done to deserve this torture? What had these kind strangers done to deserve such a horrible fate? It wasn't right, nothing here was right in this twisted reality of horror and pain.

Ai let out a scream of confusion as she shook her head about in disbelief. There had to be some way out and something beyond this sadness. She was about to run when she heard a strange noise, a sort of white noise that filled her ears and caused her pupils to dilate slightly.

Suddenly Ai was filled with a burning sensation as she jumped from her position on the floor and flung herself against the wall. A searing pain rushed throughout her small body as she tried to grasp her situation, but to no avail.

"He-lp..." she croaked before the pain reached her throat and began to constrict around her lungs. Her body was on fire and it felt like her insides were being constrained the harder she tried to fight the pain now engulfing her. She let out a loud shriek of agony as she clutched her throat praying for some salvation, but in the back of her mind she knew there was now no one who would save her. Ai writhed in pain until her mind slowly became numb to the sensations and soon she lost sight of the reality around her...

* * *

Aiorem awoke in a room she thought she would never see again after her eyes had closed. She felt the strength of three familiar strangers holding her down rather gently now, each uncertain of what to do. Ai had been thrashing around and crying out in pain just as she had in her dream and to them it meant one thing that they had never dreamed a girl like her to have to suffer through. She was covered in a cold sweat from what she now could only conclude as a nightmare, but the fact that the pain had felt so real was still not registering in her mind. Was it perhaps a night terror instead of a nightmare that was all in her mind..? 

"God, I thought she was a goner..." sighed Orga as he ran his hand through his slick blond hair.

"I never knew it looked so... painful..." muttered Crot as he steeled his gaze from her ever so slightly.

"Shut up." Shani nearly growled at the two.

All three of them seemed to be almost as distraught as the child despite their clean appearance. The sleep deprivation was evident under their worn eyes but with Ai's awakening they had momentarily lost all sense of their exhaustion. For the first time in a long while it seemed a calm swept over the florescent room.

"Wh-... what happened..?" Ai finally muttered faintly as she struggled slightly to sit upright. To her surprise her throat was incredibly dry and her voice hoarse as she spoke the words. This didn't seem to effect the trio much and they assisted her in sitting up, but the question had them a bit stumped on how to answer.

There was not way they could simply explain everything that had happened. It was clear that Ai had just experienced some minor withdrawal symptoms and no doubt there was trauma somewhere in her mind, even if it was deep in her subconscious. She had witnessed what was being done to her even if only for an instant and it was a shock she would probably never forget. Sadly, they knew that if the results from whatever test they were performing on her were favorable this was only the beginning of the mental scars that would soon be inflicted on her young mind.

"Ai..." Orga began, trying to formulate a response in his mind that would be reasonable but vague at the same time. However, the best he could do was try and figure out just how much the girl knew. If she caught him in his lie then he wouldn't know how to counter before one of them ended up blurting the truth. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"You sound like a shrink..." Crot couldn't help but remark. Orga ignored it, at the moment figuring things out about Ai was his top priority. Besides, sarcasm was like a reflex between the two of them since they argued so much. He wasn't surprised at all to hear those words come out of his mouth despite the almost dire situation the four were in.

"I remember... we were out on deck and then-." Ai paused to think for a few moments as she searched her memory for the remainder of her statement. Just a second ago she had formulated an answer but each time she tried to dig a little deeper things seemed to get more foggy in her memory. "Huh... that's odd." she said as she cocked her head to the side slightly and furrowed her brow in and out of thought. "That's all I can remember... but that can't be, there's more isn't there? I mean how did I get back here and-."

"Don't worry, Ai. You were just sleepy is all." Orga quickly assured her, taking the best opportunity he could ask for to fill in her memory gap with something logical.

Crot caught on to Orga's act and nodded vigorously in response. "Yeah, yeah that's right! You started to fall asleep so we brought you back here." he said as he forced a rather wide grin. Despite the two's work at trying to keep up the fake front Shani still sat there with the same tired and worried look they all had had before Ai had spoken up. Unlike Crot and Orga, Shani knew that somehow her memories, however shady they were now, would eventually resurface.

"Shani..." Crot almost hissed as he nudged him trying to get his attention. Shani looked to Crot who then motioned him over to Orga who was still trying to reassure Ai. As Shani's gaze turned toward Orga he was met with an impatient glare from the blond which clearly said 'knock it off and give us a hand here!' Needless to say Shani got the hint the second he saw the seething glare as he got up from his position further back from Ai and approached her, gently patting her on the head.

"Shani?" Ai questioned as she glanced up at the green haired boy curiously. He smirked slightly back down at her, he felt no reassurance in lying to her now but perhaps it was for the best. When she had been flailing and crying out in pain only moments ago the color had washed from there faces, they were just as horrified as she was. They were helpless to help her yet she was there right in front of them, just like the time before...

Crot and Orga had migrated to the door to try and give the two privacy and also to consult with each other about there next plan of action now that they had calmed the child and set her at ease. How would they face Azrael now that he had tortured an innocent little girl..? Or better yet, how come they were all of a sudden feeling so compassionate for her?

"Something's not right..." Orga muttered as he bit his lip slightly in frustration. "It's like he's doing this to mess with our heads or something."

"Well we know from experience that he likes to screw with people, but I didn't realize he'd personally take the time to screw with kids too..." Crot sighed as he ruffled his hair.

There was no doubt in their minds now that Azrael was demonstrating his power over them once again, but to involve Aiorem was beginning to push it. They couldn't deny thought that it was working to an extent though, he had the three frustrated which would lead to them being aggressive naturally during testing which would in turn enhance their performance and the effect of the gliphiten. Whether that was his original intent or not he was going to get results from his actions and so far they all seemed to be in his favor. Then again it could have also been to punish Ai as well since she had, without knowing it herself, infuriated Azrael to some extent with her resolve to stay with the trio and interfere with their training.

"Dammit..." Crot growled as he punched the wall in hopes that it would calm him even a little bit. What irritated him and no doubt the others most wasn't the fact that Azrael was just hurting Aiorem for his own pleasure and getting enjoyment out of it himself but the fact that they were completely powerless to do anything against him. Sure, when it was Azrael punishing just them they were irritated enough with him but it was their own faults for having ever accepted their fates and really as long as they were alive they could still hope, even if it was a slim chance, that they could one day escape everything. Now he was attacking Ai and she was too young to protect herself against him even if she wanted to, there was nothing they could possibly do in retaliation either.

It seemed they were in a fine mess all because of one man's sick intent on making their lives miserable all for the sake of their pure and Natural world.

"Azrael..." Shani muttered as Orga and Crot turned to face him. It seemed Ai had fallen back to sleep and Shani was hunched over her bedside, his fist clutched firmly in his lap as he clenched his teeth. "That bastard..."

"Yeah... that's never going to change but something else here does." Orga commented as he approached the bed along with Crot. He crossed his arms as he stood upright and let out a heavy sigh, glancing down toward the obsidian haired girl who slept like an innocent little angel. "I don't know how, but we have to figure out some way of getting her out of here for all of our sakes." he spoke seriously as he glanced at the both of them. Shani and Crot nodded in their response, Orga spoke the truth. There was only one solution to ease their pain, even if just a little, and also to save Airoem from any more of Azrael's plans, whatever they may be.

"So... what exactly are we going to do to get her out of her?" Crot spoke up as the room went silent while they tried to figure out a solution. Just before they could get their thoughts in order, however, a familiar announcement sounded over the intercom calling for them.

"Perfect..." Orga groaned as he massaged his forehead trying to stop the incoming headache from adding to his irritation.

"It will give us more time to think." Shani spoke, for once adding an almost optimistic spin on their untimely training routine. "Besides..." he began again. "We can't let her know either... she's growing attached to us." With that Shani exited the room rather coldly leaving the other two behind to ponder his words.

"You don't suppose..." Crot began but was stopped by Orga who started to massage his forehead further.

"Don't bother... I've got enough of a headache coming already, let him be." Orga remarked as he too exited the room. Crot was about to follow after them but stopped as he silently fell back to Ai's bedside. He smiled slightly at her cherubic form nestled in the covers with a peaceful face, at the very least now she was dreaming peacefully. Who knew what other nightmares awaited her in the future if she stayed aboard with them.

"It's for the best." he murmured, but in the back of his mind there was a nagging feeling as he glanced at the girl. Unconsciously he gently stroked back her hair from her face and tucked her in before he left the room.

'_Maybe it's not her who's getting attached...'_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Well everyone, I know it's been a long time coming and I'm sorry! With this new chapter I promise I've gotten back into the mood of writing and back into my characters' stories. This is the beginning of the real story, or at least a good step in the direction towards the main story I was waiting to get into. For all of my readers and reviewers I'd like to thank you for sticking by and waiting on my lazy ass to get this chapter up and I promise that there's plenty more to come in the future, hopefully in a more timely manner. If some of the characters seem a little out of whack or something, I have neglected this fanfiction for quite some time so you may see some strange changes in the next few chapters. It'll smooth itself out eventually! 


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